The Indie Bookshop Adventure: From Athens to SanFran

An Indie Bookshop Adventure in Athens, Georgia, and San Francisco, California...that was my project for my QUAL 8410 Summer Semester course! I have done interviews for years, but this was the first time since my undergraduate years at UGA that I have had to TRANSCRIBE THEM! It is quite a task, my friends, particularly when you are transcribing an interview with multiple parties. But the lovely employees and friends of Avid Bookshop made this project fun for me. I learned so much about the importance of layout, location, customer service, and strong leadership in maintaining the success of independent bookshops. I also learned that bookshops can be sites of both education and activism, research interests that I hope I can continue to pursue in my dissertation and other writing/research endeavors.  Here are just a couple of snapshots I took of the lovely Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA:

The folks at Avid work very hard and are so passionate about what they do. Many of them are writers and/or artists themselves, so they can relate to my triumphs and challenges. They have a great selection, so please pay them a visit next time you are in town! They have an amazing selection of YA books, children's books, graphic novels, and books related to feminism, all of which are close to my heart.  

In San Francisco, I visited a few indie bookshops that are worth checking out if you are in the area: 

1. Modern Times, in the Mission Neighborhood: It has a great selection of academic books, history books, books written in Spanish, and books about Native American culture. 

2. Borderlands, which is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy bookshop off of Valencia Street. Apparently, this place has struggled in the past. However, they have a great selection of Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels, including YA. Also, I bought Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman there, so they carry a handful of popular fiction as well. They have a wonderful cafe next door that is conducive to getting work done.  

3. Dog Eared Books: I got the second book in Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis's Wildwood Chronicles for seven bucks here! It was a used book, but nonetheless, this place has great deals! It is right down the street from Borderlands off of Valencia Street, so check it out! 

4. Booksmith in Haight Ashbury: How can you not go to Haight Ashbury while you're in San Francisco! While you're there, you might as well visit this fabulous bookshop, which has a great selection of comics and graphic novels and Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels in particular. They do appreciate alternative ways of being and thinking, after all. Their YA selection is also solid, and the whole place is laid out beautifully: 

5. 826 Valencia: This is actually a non-profit organization with a pirate store...that sells books! Their organization has a wonderful vision, which is to teach writing to at-risk adolescent students. Therefore, this one in particular is close to my heart. The kids put together creative writing anthologies about identity, their changing neighborhood (Mission area), and other issues related to being an adolescent. Please come here! It's a wonderful place.  

Whether you're in Athens, San Francisco, or anywhere else, Indie bookshops have a world of imagination and creativity to offer! In a world of technology that I too love, these places are worth holding onto, so we need to support them. I hope to one day make it back to Portland, Oregon, so I can visit the HUGE bookshop known as Powell's. :) For now, I will enjoy the ones closer to me, including Avid and Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia. My hats off to the employees of all of these places for your hard work and dedication.